Disciplines collide at Grebel regularly, as faculty and staff strive to think beyond their individual silos. The Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) Department, for example, offers cross-listed courses in Women’s Studies, Legal Studies, Political Science, History, and Music, and approves courses in many other programs. Expanding further, a new PACS course is gaining traction on the UWaterloo campus. “Engineering and Peace” (PACS 315) is attracting engineering and PACS students alike. The course looks at the kinds of problems engineers seek to address and the ways they seek to address them. Taught by Paul Heidebrecht (BASC 1994), Director of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA), it examines historical connections between the discipline of engineering and warfare, technological frontiers for peacebuilding, and the engineering method and mindset.
“This course tests and demonstrates Grebel’s commitment to the idea that peace is everybody’s business,” explained Paul, who is also an engineer. “I start off every class with a conversation with an engineer, peacebuilder, or community leader, and so far it has brought more than 30 amazing individuals to our campus! These connections have translated into other opportunities for students and the CPA.”
“Engineering and Peace occupies a special niche in our curriculum by inviting critical and creative reflection on roles that technology and the tech sector play in conflict and peace issues,” observed PACS Chair Nathan Funk. “It forms a valuable bridge between university faculties and fosters a quite distinctive learning experience. Engineering students testify that PACS 315 encourages them to think in exciting new ways, while PACS students express enthusiasm for the opportunity to learn from and with the future engineers.”
As a PACS student in her final term, Elisa Umuhoza chose to take PACS 315 because she wanted to be able to better relate to the STEM side of campus—the tech side—and to connect the two worlds. She noted how shocking it was for students in the class to learn how many co-op jobs are connected to the military. “The morality of it all surfaced,” she reported. This course “is an opportunity to grapple with ethics and to understand the power engineers have to create solutions,” she explained. “It encourages students to ask the question—what are we doing?” Starting with which co-op jobs to pursue next term, this course equips students to make discerning decisions about their career and its potential impact.
Computer Science student Jonathan Smith found that PACS 315 was one of the most interactive and challenging experiences he has had at Waterloo. “With such a diverse group of students, everyone from international development specialists to civil engineers, we were able to expand our view of how technology affects the world.” Inspired by the class, Jonathan went on to build a prototype of an app to help Canadians support new refugees in the country.
Likewise inspired by the course, Systems Design Engineer Jared Baribeau (BASC 2018) graduated last year and has since moved to Cambodia to work with Demine Robotics—a University of Waterloo startup that works to safely remove landmines.
“There are no shortage of technical problems that need to be addressed in order for peace to flourish, including access to essential services like water, energy, and communications technologies. At the same time, there are no shortage of problems caused by technology—and within the culture of the tech sector itself—that need to be addressed,” said the CPA’s Paul Heidebrecht. “I think the biggest impact this course will have on the world is that some really bright and hard-working students are being encouraged to put their best energy into problems that really matter. The sky is the limit!”
